Canadian metal band Decatur are back with their newest album ‘Badder Than Brooklyn’.

The band itself boasts high energy metal and that’s exactly what you get from this album. Head banging, foot tapping, soul piercing, gritty metal. Just what the Doctor ordered!

I’ve selected a few tracks off the album that particularly spoke to me because of the subject of the song and the way they are played.

Track 2 on the album ‘In To The Night’ reminded me of very early Metallica. It has a slightly thrashy undertone to it, beautifully complemented by a soaring guitar solo. The gravely tones to the
vocals aren’t too dissimilar to Hetfield either. It’s a well rounded track that engages you throughout. This track instils a feeling of isolation into you. You put yourself into the shoes of the
narrator, going out into that dark night alone and afraid.

Una storia di isolamento....

“Riding through the darkness, back into the night again. 3 am in winter, Lights become your only friend. Storm, fear, hail, snow falls down on you. To be the only thing that I can see. Slow down,
slow down, breathe!”.

This brings us to track 3 ‘Vegas Girl’ on the album. I instantly like this track from the intro alone. It’s got a really funky southern riff to it. It instantly puts your mind in a party
atmosphere, so Vegas suits rather well. This track has a vintage metal feel and has some really catchy hooks going on. Crushing grooves and big choruses, it’s incredibly hard not to tap your foot
to this one! This is kind of ironic as it’s not set as a party song. The track in fact, tells the story of how a ‘Vegas Girl’ cons a man after meeting him on the strip and running off with all
his money.

Cadere vittima di una bella donna!

Some of the song lyrics being as follows..

“I know your goal, how cold! Whoa Vegas girl... She came to my hotel, tried to console me, She had another plan, to take my money”.

The title track from the album is track 5 ‘Badder Than Brooklyn’. This track takes a slightly heavier and darker turn from previous tracks on the album. It’s fast paced balls out metal in
its purest form! It set out as a second person narrative telling the story of a ‘Monster’ in Brooklyn on a massacre.

Una storia di omicidi e paura...

“He walks the street, a monster you don’t want to meet. Oh God! His list is getting longer, No! We’ll never stop the madness down here. I know you’re scared, we might not make it out of
here. They found his note and silver cord around her throat. Oh God! His list is getting longer... Help!”.

Over all, this is eclectic pot of various style influences infused together to deliver an album that has crushing grooves, catchy hooks, big choruses, heavy and sometimes slightly trashy riffs
and soaring guitar solos. It is a well rounded album that takes you on a journey through various stories of depression, anxiety, murder, grief and fighting back. It keeps you captivated
throughout and leaves you wanting more.

Not only are these guys skilled musicians, I am really impressed with the album narrative. Albums should tell a story and ‘Badder Than Brooklyn’ does exactly that. Each story is a short, but well
thought out scenario that is a refreshing change to the standard song subjects of love loss. You embark on a emotional roller coaster through the depths of depression and fear and finish on a
empowering track ‘Shatterproof’ when the narrator decided they are unbreakable.